Raheem Pulls Off Epic L.A.-Style Shocker by Jeremy "Fasttalker" Bjornberg - 09/15/2005 Coming into HBO's doubleheader, all Eric Morales and Manny Pacquiao had to do was win and a multimillion dollar rematch would be set. Problem was, Morales' promoters once again put their fighter in with the wrong style opponent. Styles make fights, and Mexican fighters shouldn't go out of their way to fight tricky, quick-footed opponents. Zahir Raheem was always a talented guy, and he was also a bit naturally bigger than Morales, which helped him absorb the few power shots he took. Raheem outboxed Morales in all the rounds but three in my eyes. Morales did mount a comeback in round 11, even dropping Raheem but the ref ruled it a slip. It wouldn't have mattered, Raheem had built up too big of a lead by that point. Morales was very sluggish at 135 and is probably lucky Raheem isn't a bigger puncher, or he may have gotten KOed. Raheem shockingly cracked Morales and sent him flying into the ropes, causing even Morales to wake up and get his guard up. Obviously Raheem was not an easy opponent to beat as his only loss was a debatable defeat to Rocky Juarez, in which a slippery canvas did most of the damage. Raheem did tire down the stretch, but he had a hard job to do, keeping a monster like Morales from breaking him down. Raheem put himself on the map big-time, and he now can consider himself a true contender. I expect Raheem to be back on HBO very soon. The undercard featured Manny Pacquiao against rugged Hector Velasquez in a 130-pound bout. Pacquiao started slow but by round three was picking up the pace and eventually got to Velasquez with straight lefts, ending the fight in the sixth round. The stoppage was a bit early, but it wouldn't have mattered as Manny became relentless. Doc's was right on the money with this pick as Doc's picked the under and a KO for Manny. After the Morales and Raheem fight, HBO went to Manny in the locker room and he had a look of death as he watched Morales drop a decision and possibly block their highly anticipated rematch. Both promoters however decided to let the fights go on, and they are going to fight late January. Morales spoke of getting his revenge on Raheem in the future. Next weekend HBO will be offering a PPV featuring Marco Antonio Barrera against Robbie Peden in a unification bout, as well as Shane Mosley against undefeated Mexican Jose Luis Cruz. The fights take place on Saturday and should be highly entertaining, you won't want to miss out on Doc's picks for this card as they are the most profitable streak of the year, winning nine of their last 10, and adding four underdog picks in the meantime. |